AUDIO SCRIPTS Audio scripts - Nyelvkönyvbolt Scripts.pdf · 120 Audio scripts AUDIO SCRIPTSAudio ... Some people I know always want to be different so they’ll only listen to new

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Audio scriptsUnit 1, Speaking, Activity 4

01

1 How do you usually relax when you have some free time?

2 What do you do when you stay in? Where do you go when you go out?

3 Do you like being in a large group or would you rather be with a few close friends?

Unit 1, Speaking, Activity 5 02

Speaker 1: I usually find watching TV quite relaxing but it depends on my mood.

Speaker 2: I tend to stay in on weekdays though I sometimes have friends round.

Speaker 3: Playing the guitar is good fun.

Speaker 1: Doing yoga helps me to switch off.

Speaker 2: I’m really into computer games.

Speaker 3: I go out for a pizza now and again.


1 Yes, a sister.

2 I’m hoping to go on an activity holiday in this country and learn water-skiing and other things, but my parents want me to go to the beach with them in Spain.

3 His name is Thomas and I’ve known him all my life. He’s the person I’d phone if I had any problems because he’s always there for me and he gives me good advice. I’m really fond of him and I think we’ll always stay in touch.

4 I’m sorry. Would you repeat the question, please?OK, thanks. Well, some people think it’s a bit boring, because there isn’t a lot to do in the evenings, but I love it. It’s near the mountains, but also not too far from the beach.

Unit 1, Listening, Activity 2 04

Speaker 1: I suppose I’ve always been mad about music. I used to listen to my dad’s favourite rock bands from the

sixties but now I’m just into the same stuff as my friends – hip hop mainly. Some people I know always want to be different so they’ll only listen to new bands that no-one’s heard of. It’s just a way of showing off, I think. My group of friends are always sharing music files and telling each other about new discoveries. I’ve found a lot of new bands that way. But it’s the music I’m interested in, not the personalities of the band members – so I don’t usually bother with Twitter or Facebook.


Speaker 2: Some people I know aren’t prepared to pay anything for music, and that’s fine. But I think you miss out a lot that way. I like to keep up with what’s happening and Twitter’s good for that. Artists’ll tell you when they’ve got a song coming out, and when their next gig’ll be on Facebook, too. I listen to music on my phone all day and I watch music videos before I go to sleep. I suppose you could say my taste in music’s quite narrow but not everyone can like everything, can they?

Speaker 3: It doesn’t matter to me what music my friends like. I think you can have other things in common with people besides music. I’m going out with a girl who has completely different tastes to me and we’re quite happy! I used to pay for downloads but it’s getting easier to get all the music I want for nothing. So I haven’t actually bought anything for a long time. But I spend quite a lot on going to gigs. Small gigs are more fun than large ones. I usually go with a group of friends and it’s really sociable.

Speaker 4: Whatever I’m doing, I‘m listening to music. There’s never a silent period in my day. I couldn’t live without my iPod. I used to be obsessed with music videos but now I find they’re all the same. At home I like playing music really loud. I’m lucky because my parents don’t seem to mind. They’ve influenced me a lot. When I was growing up, my mum would often play seventies music and dance around the kitchen. I think that’s what’s made me so open to all kinds of music.

Speaker 5: I like being one of the first to discover a new band. I think artists are at their most creative when they’re just starting out, so you probably won’t be familiar with what’s on my mp3 player. Once a band’s become really famous and everyone’s listening to them and following them on Twitter and Facebook, I start to lose interest. I try to see as much live music as I can because it’s a completely different experience to watching a video. Often I’ll download an album after I’ve seen the band play live.

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Unit 2, Use of English, Activity 6

06

sociable

comfortable

lovable

predictable

reliable

adventurous

cautious

generous

realistic

dramatic

pessimistic

sympathetic

practical

emotional

personal

thoughtful

harmful

hopeful

meaningful


P = Presenter M = Max

P: As the youngest of four children, I know my older brothers and sisters always thought I had a much easier time. I didn’t use to do as many jobs around the house and my parents were more relaxed about letting me do things as I got older. But has this affected my personality in any way? Our reporter, Max Berry, has been listening to psychologists at Southfield University who are doing some research into what’s known as ‘the birth order effect’ - how your position in a family can affect your life. They’ve been asking people whether they believe there’s any truth in this. Max, what can you tell us?

M: Well Esther, it seems that the vast majority of people believe that the oldest child’s always the most successful in later life. But apparently, there’s a lot of evidence to show that it’s actually middle children who have the best chance of leading happy, as well as successful, lives. People also believe that the youngest child always has a problem learning to be responsible and independent, which again isn’t supported by any real facts.


P = Presenter M = Max

P: So, is it true, for example, that oldest children perform best in intelligence tests?

M: Well, yes. There are lots of studies which prove this to be the case. One explanation for this might be that parents

often encourage the oldest child to help their younger brothers and sisters to learn new skills, especially learning to read, and this actually helps the older child become more confident and independent.

P: Interesting. So what other characteristics do oldest children have?

M: Some psychologists believe that first-borns like me often take life too seriously and worry too much. They may feel under pressure to be the best all the time, though I must say that isn’t something that’s ever been a problem for me. But as a young child, I do remember hating my younger brother and thinking that he was my parents’ favourite, and this is something that’s quite common in oldest children.

P: What about youngest children, like me?

M: Well, in families where there are three or more children, the baby of the family’s often treated as just that – a baby. They’re allowed to grow up more slowly. But their good points are that they’re likely to question everything and to be imaginative and artistic. Just like you, Esther.

P: Are there any factors which increase the ‘birth order effect’ in some families?

M: According to some psychologists, it seems that in families where there are either two boys, or two girls, the birth order effect is stronger. But it can have hardly any impact on large families, or where siblings aren’t close in age. Although some people believe the birth order effect is so important that it should influence really important decisions such as our choice of marriage partner.

P: So, if you’re the oldest, should you marry someone who’s also the oldest in their family?

M: Well, it’s been suggested that two first-born children will have to work very hard to make a marriage a success, but that it’d be much easier for two third-born children because they’re likely to be more relaxed. And two middle children will probably want to compete with each other, so it could be difficult for them to get on well.

P: That does make things complicated! But surely birth order isn’t the most important thing which affects people’s personalities?

M: Absolutely not. Before you start to examine every aspect of your life in relation to whether you were born first, middle or last, a word of caution. The influence this can have when we are children doesn’t necessarily last as we become adults. Our relationships outside our family can have just as much influence on the development of our personalities.

P: Right. So it might be wise to resist blaming your brothers and sisters for everything that’s gone wrong in your life! Thanks very much …

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Unit 2, Grammar, Activity 2 09

Speaker 1: I’ve always found my nephew really cute, but it took me ages to have the confidence to be on my own with him without feeling nervous. I hadn’t been around babies before so I found it a bit scary, but it’s fine now.

Speaker 2: I get on well with most of the family but one of my cousins is a bit weird. He’s so argumentative . It’s not worth talking to him really because he just disagrees with whatever anybody says. It’s a good thing he doesn’t live that near.

Speaker 3: My mum got married again a few years ago and my stepfather has a daughter. Luckily, she’s about the same age as me and we both love riding, so it’s great to have something in common.

Speaker 4: I don’t see my grandad that much as he lives hundreds of miles away. We’d like him to come and live nearer. He’s quite old now but when I was younger we used to support the same football team so we always had loads to talk about on the phone.

Speaker 5: I was quite surprised when my sister married Charlie, because he’s very different from her other boyfriends. But actually he’s a really nice guy to have as a brother-in-law and I’ve promised to give him tennis lessons.


A = Alana F = Federico

A: I think the relationship with a twin sister would be very important because you would probably be very close and tell her stuff you wouldn’t tell other people.

F: Yes, that’s very true. Even if I argue with my brother, we’re still very close. But don’t you think grandparents have a big influence on your life, too, because …

A: I suppose so, but it depends how often you see them. I didn’t see mine very often but I did learn a lot from them and they were very patient and kind to me.

F: So were mine, even if there was a generation gap. What’s your view on the father/son relationship?

A: I’m not sure, but I imagine perhaps they would share hobbies together, like, er, well, learning to drive or playing football together.

F: I suppose so. My father was much older than most fathers but I suppose it depends on your personality, too and if you have things in common.

A: I see what you mean. If you get an inspirational teacher, they have a huge effect on your life, too. I know somebody

who took up, er, drama and became an actor because of the encouragement a teacher gave them.

F: Then there’s …


I’ve always been interested in making lots of money and I always believed I’d be successful. My father was very proud that I’d been to university – the first in my family to do so, and I think he hoped I’d become a banker or a lawyer, and not a fruit seller like him. But instead I saw an opportunity to make money from sports shoes, which were becoming fashionable in the early 1980s, and from a humble start on a market stall my business grew rapidly. I took a lot of risks and faced an uncertain future, especially as the economic situation wasn’t good at that time, but somehow I still knew things would work out. The company kept growing; by 1990 I had one hundred and twenty shops, and just before I sold the business in 1998, this figure had grown to two hundred and fifty, with over seven thousand employees.

I made £268 million from the sale and, obviously, I’d now made all the money I could ever need. I decided to take time out and enjoy myself. I spent loads of money on a yacht and luxury homes but I didn’t find this lifestyle satisfying; so I decided to do something useful. I got interested in education and invested in training programmes that taught children about business. I thought this would give them the opportunity to do what I’d done.

After a while, I was bored and wanted to work again. But I didn’t need any more money for myself so I decided to give the money I made to charity. I visited Africa for the first time in 2004 and saw I could offer business advice and financial support to farmers who were in difficulty. They were given small loans which, in the vast majority of cases, they were able to pay back on time.

I started thinking, and realised that the £3,000 I would spend on a suit was a fortune to most people. Even £100 could make a huge difference to someone. It was a chance to get out of poverty. So about five years ago, I started lending small amounts of money to people all over the world who had nothing, and who wanted to start their own business.

Recently, I’ve been involved in projects that help village communities in Africa to help themselves. We’ve been able to build new schools, improve access to water and invest in farm machinery. The first of these projects to be completed was a hospital in a small town in Malawi. Seeing that finished and operational was the most satisfying experience of my life – far more important to me than any business deal.

I feel very privileged to be able to help people in this way. I think it’s taught me what’s really important in life –


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now I appreciate my family so much more and I’m not as interested as I used to be in holidays or expensive clothes. But in order to finance these projects, I need to spend about 70 per cent of my time working. Now I’m mainly involved in property companies, and it’s the money I make from these that I spend on development projects in Africa.

I would advise anyone who’s earning millions to give most of it away. Initially I was only interested in the security money could bring, but now it means something else to me. It means freedom to do what I want with my life. I’m much happier now than I was twenty years ago. I do understand that not having enough money can be very worrying, but it’s important to realise there’s a limit to how much you actually need for yourself.

People often ask me how much money I intend to give away. I don’t know the answer to that exactly, but what I do know is that I wouldn’t feel right if I ended up leaving a lot of money to my kids. I don’t think a yacht or a Ferrari would bring them happiness – I’ll make sure they have enough to buy a house, but I want them to work and earn their own money. It’s important to be independent.


1 I’m not as interested as I used to be in holidays.

2 Building the hospital was the most satisfying experience of my life.

3 I’m much happier than I was twenty years ago.


In both pictures there are people doing something which is very important to them. In the first picture the people look very happy because they are celebrating success. It looks like a graduation ceremony. In the second picture the man looks as if he’s very proud of his car because he’s taking very good care of it. It looks like hard work. He probably spent a lot of money on it and it looks like it’s very valuable.

I’d say that both pictures show an achievement but the first picture is celebrating an experience whereas the second picture shows someone who values an expensive thing. The graduation photo is more special because it’s something you can remember for your whole life. The car can be sold or it could be damaged in an accident – it’s not something that lasts in the same way. While the man might really love his car, his passion is something he does on his own. The girl in the graduation photo seems happier because she’s sharing her success with her family and friends. She looks like she’s having more fun than the man.


P = Presenter L = Leo

P: Today on the travel programme, we’re reviewing a book called Following in Shackleton’s Footsteps by Henry Worsley. It tells the story of Worsley’s recent expedition to the South Pole exactly one hundred years after Shackleton’s famous failed expedition of 1908. It’s been chosen by my guest, Leo Stone, himself the veteran of several polar expeditions. Welcome to the programme, Leo.

L: Thank you.

P: First of all, can you tell us about Worsley and his team?

L: Sure. The really unusual thing about this trip is that Worsley and his team are all related to members of Shackleton’s team. Worsley is a descendant of Shackleton’s captain, Frank Worsley.

P: So they had some unfinished family business.

L: Exactly. Worsley took the compass Shackleton used and his diary all the way to the South Pole. Apparently this trip had been a lifelong ambition for him. Shackleton’d had to turn back before reaching the South Pole and Worsley wanted to finish the journey.

P: Amazing. Did the trip take a long time to organise?

L: Yes. It took them five years to prepare for this trip. They had to find the money, which was no easy task. As you can imagine, the costs involved were enormous. Then there was the physical training. You’d think this would be the hardest part, but Worsley’d been in the army so he was used to this kind of thing. And one of the team members had run a few marathons, so they were all relatively fit. It was actually the mental challenge that Worsley’s team struggled with most; having to get their heads around a nine hundred mile journey.

P: So was the trip any easier for the twenty-first century team?

L: In some ways, yes. But they still had to walk for ten hours a day with all their equipment. And then they had to put up their tent and cook a meal in what Worsley describes as a ‘frozen hell’. But Shackleton was travelling into the unknown with only a compass to guide him, while Worsley’s team had a map and modern navigation equipment.

P: And did they experience any of the same problems?

L: They did. For example, Worsley and his team had to spend two days in their tent because high winds made it impossible to continue, which Shackleton also endured. But it was worse for Shackleton because they were also very low on food at that point. And one of Shackleton’s men fell seriously ill, which luckily the twenty-first century team was spared.


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P: Did Worsley feel confident that he would reach the South Pole?

L: Yes, but he faced some very tough moments. Like Shackleton, Worsley’s team went up the Beardmore Glacier, which was incredibly dangerous with huge crevasses everywhere. And just when Worsley thought it couldn’t get any worse, they reached the Antarctic plateau. This proved to be even tougher going than the glacier. It’s the coldest, driest place on earth and both teams experienced symptoms of altitude sickness. It was when he came face to face with the brutality of conditions there that Shackleton began to doubt he’d ever reach the Pole.

P: Which part of the book did you enjoy the most?

L: The climax of the book is definitely when Worsley and his team arrived at the place where Shackleton decided to turn back. They arrived there on the hundredth anniversary and the excitement and sense of joy is really inspiring and memorable – better even than the part where they get to the Pole itself or the huge sense of relief at arriving back safely. There’re some amazing photos, too.

P: Do you think Shackleton deserves his reputation as a great hero?

L: Yes, I do. I’ve always really admired Shackleton, and anyone who doesn’t know anything about him should definitely read this book. His decision to turn back to save his men took great courage. That’s why I think he’s such a hero. He never did reach his goal and it was Roald Amundsen who finally made it to the South Pole in 1911. There are so many lessons we …


A: So which two skills do you think would be the most useful?

B: Top of the list for me would be finding water and making a shelter because without these things you can’t survive.

A: I’d put making a fire above making a shelter. I think learning to make a fire would be the highest priority for me because a fire can keep you warm and you can also use it to boil water so that it’s safe to drink and for cooking.

B: That’s true. So out of these five skills, making a fire and finding water would be the most useful.


My name is Sarah Willis and I’m a food historian. Have you ever wondered what our lives would be like without cooking and how easy it would be to survive in the wild

eating only raw food? Well the answer is that humans are not very good at eating food that hasn’t been cooked and would find it almost impossible to survive on the diet of a chimpanzee, for example. Chimpanzees do eat a lot of fruit, which would be OK for us, not just bananas but all sorts of berries too, which account for 60 percent of their diet. But the remaining 40 percent is made up of other plant food, which wouldn’t really be suitable for human consumption. These plants don’t contain sugar so they’re bitter rather than sweet like berries. The other problem with the chimpanzee diet is that human teeth aren’t strong enough to chew the huge quantities of plants that we’d need and our stomachs just wouldn’t be big enough to digest it all.

But long ago, before people discovered cooking, our human ancestors must have had a diet that was quite similar to a chimpanzee’s. They would have spent an awful lot of time chewing plants and raw meat in order to digest it properly. They might spend eight hours a day finding things to eat and then about six hours actually eating their food. Which didn’t leave them much time for any leisure activities. So when people started cooking, life began to get a lot better. They had more time for other things and the food also tasted much better. But as well as that, cooking made it possible to preserve meat for longer, which meant they could save some food for the next day in case they didn’t manage to find any.

No one knows exactly when people started cooking. But a lot of scientists believe the discovery of cooking was a really important development. They think that because of cooking, our mouths gradually became smaller and the brain became much bigger. These changes happened over thousands of years, of course. And as well as bringing about physical changes, some scientists believe the activity of cooking also introduced significant social change. They say that cooking food meant that everyone in the family ate at the same time, so it’s where the tradition of sitting down together and having a family meal may have begun. But there were new risks involved too. For the first time, people had to wait until the food was cooked before they could eat. This delay between catching or finding the food and then eating it meant there was a stronger possibility it might get stolen. So the female cooks had to be protected against potential thieves by the men who were also responsible for the hunting and gathering of food.

Until a few years ago, it was thought that cooking was a relatively recent development but now tests indicate that our ancestors started cooking in Africa a very long time ago. Scientists have discovered that fire may have been used for this purpose over one million years ago, which is far earlier than was previously thought.

Scientists do know that people began cooking routinely during the last ice age around twelve thousand years ago. Cooking food was a good idea in the extreme cold because it gives more energy than raw food so cooking helped people survive this harsh environment.

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OK, well obviously both photos show restaurants but the similarity ends there, I think. The one on the right is a much more special kind of place. It’s probably really expensive and the food will be more adventurous and interesting than in the other photo. The photo on the left shows a self-service restaurant so the atmosphere will be more casual and the food is probably more basic, such as burgers or pizza.

I’d imagine the young people at the expensive restaurant are there because they are celebrating a special occasion and they wanted to do something different. But actually, they would probably prefer to be eating in a less formal situation, like in the other photo. The people in the fast food restaurant probably go there because it’s cheaper, they can eat quickly, and they don’t have to dress up.


Examiner: Roberto, which do you think you need more of, luck or talent, to succeed in the arts?

Roberto: I think a lot depends on luck. You need the opportunity to succeed and not everyone gets the right opportunity even if they’re really talented. Then there are lots of examples of people who are really famous and successful but not very talented. I think these people need to have a lot of ambition and determination as well as luck. Would you agree with that, Beata?

Beata: I’m not sure. Basically, you’re saying you don’t really need talent to succeed. But you can’t become successful without any talent at all.

Roberto: Yes, I suppose you are right. You don’t need a lot of talent to succeed but you do need a lot of luck.


Extract 1

It’s one of my favourite plays so I was really excited about seeing it again. But I must warn you – it’s quite different from any other production I’ve seen. And on the whole it works. The futuristic set is stunning, very cleverly contrasted with the present-day jeans and hoodies. The specially composed music is a welcome addition and really helps to create a threatening atmosphere. But for some reason most of the action takes place in semi-darkness, so I just wish I’d been able to see everything more clearly.


Extract 2

A: OK. So shall we meet outside the theatre at 6.30? That’ll give us time to have a coffee first.

B: But it starts at 6.45 – really early – and it won’t finish until ten. I’ll be starving by then!

A: Well, we could meet a bit earlier and grab a pizza or something. There are a few places to eat nearby.

B: Yeah. If we meet at six, that should give us enough time – it’s not like we’ve got to queue for tickets or anything.

Extract 3

For all you Josh Willard fans – exciting news. Josh’s new film, which is set in nineteenth century Scotland, has its premiere next week and Josh will be here in London to attend. Josh, who famously doesn’t do many interviews, will appear on Channel 3’s Live Tonight, so make sure you don’t miss him talking to Ned Bryan. Then it’s back to New York where he’ll be starring alongside Natasha Reynolds in The Holly Tree at the District Theatre from the end of April …

Extract 4

The comedy festival will be held again in Lenbury this year, but with a few changes to last year’s programme. The organisers have decided that this year it’ll be held in the third weekend in July instead of the first. The main stage is also moving from the Lenbury Theatre to a tent in the park to provide more seats, although the theatre’ll still be used for smaller gigs. This means more tickets’ll be available for the main events.

Extract 5

A: So, Maria, is it true you’re going to retire soon?

B: Yes. I’m going to be thirty-five soon, so it’s getting harder and harder for me physically, and I’m still recovering from that last back injury I had. But the main reason’s that I need to spend time with my little boy. He’s only two and he’s growing up so fast. I don’t want to miss it.

A: So you don’t enjoy being on tour any more?

B: It’s not that I don’t enjoy it. It’s just not practical any more. It’ll actually break my heart to give up dancing in public.

Extract 6

A: So, as usual, The View will be the biggest contemporary art event of the summer – not in terms of the number of artworks on display, but in the variety of art on show.

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B: That’s right. Everything from landscape to abstract and mostly young artists who are just beginning to make a name for themselves.

A: Although there are one or two big names as well, which’ll be an added bonus for art lovers.

B: Yes, indeed. It’s a shame, though, that a permanent venue can’t be found for it. The museum’s a bit old-fashioned and I don’t think the displays are very imaginative.

Extract 7

I’m really excited about the play. It’s the first time I’ve worked with this director and that’s always quite challenging. I’m not sure if it’ll be a big success or not because it is quite a depressing subject and people might not want to spend an evening in the theatre watching something that they may well find upsetting. But I think it’s an important subject and theatre is all about exploring all aspects of life. So I do hope people will support it.

Extract 8

A: Who do you think will get the main part?

B: I expect it’ll be Zoe. She’s a good singer and dancer, but it could be Molly. I thought she did a good audition, too. Mr Panton says he’s going to tell us in class on Thursday.

A: When are you starting rehearsals?

B: On Friday. It’s going to be really hard work because performances start in three weeks.

A: I’ll help you learn your lines, if you like.

B: Thanks. That’d be very helpful.


1

A: What are you doing this weekend?

B: I’m going to the dance festival in the park. It’s on all weekend.

A: Oh, I’d really like to go but my brother’s moving house and I have to help him.

B: That’s a shame!

A: Never mind. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.

B: Yes. It should be fun especially as I think the weather’ll be good.

2

A: Hi Ben! Are you going to the film festival at the weekend?

B: Yes, on Saturday. I’m going to buy the tickets online today.

A: How much are they?

B: Only £15. I’ll get you one if you like.

A: That would be great. What time does it start?

B: At 7.30. But I’m going to leave home early, at six o’clock because of the traffic. I’ll pick you up on my way, if you like.


Well, I’m not absolutely certain what the place on the right is but it could be an underwater hotel. The other one seems to have been built in the trees and is a hotel, too. The underwater hotel looks quite luxurious, whereas the treehouse appears to be more basic; but it’s eco-friendly and it would definitely be less expensive to stay at.

It must be an interesting experience to stay at both of them, although I’d imagine the treehouse might not be such fun in bad weather. The hotel under the sea must feel a bit weird and scary at first, I think. Having said that, it would be wonderful to watch the fish without having to get wet.

Of the two, I think the treehouse would be more enjoyable to stay in because, although the underwater one would be the experience of a lifetime, guests would probably always be wondering what would happen if something went wrong.


1 Well, I’m not absolutely certain what the place on the right is.

2 It could be an underwater hotel.

3 The other one seems to have been built in the trees.

4 The underwater hotel looks quite luxurious.

5 The treehouse appears to be more basic.

6 It would definitely be less expensive to stay at.

7 It must be an interesting experience to stay at both of them.

8 I’d imagine the treehouse might not be such fun in bad weather.

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breathtaking

inspirational

luxurious

magnificent

mysterious

peaceful

remote

spiritual


E = Examiner P = Presenter O = Olivia

E: You will hear a journalist interviewing a travel writer, called Olivia Rees about a place called Shangri-La.

P: Today we turn to Shangri-La. The word Shangri-La is now a synonym for an earthly paradise and is used all over the world as a name for hotels, restaurants and holiday homes. But the name actually comes from a novel called Lost Horizon by James Hilton. This was published in 1933 and enjoyed huge popularity at the time. What made it so popular, Olivia?

O: Very little was actually known about Tibet in those days; it was a remote and mysterious place. But in the years leading up to the Second World War, people were only too keen to forget their troubles and read a fantasy about somewhere that was peaceful and harmonious.

P: The story of Lost Horizon’s about a group of travellers who get lost, isn’t it?

O: Yes. Their plane crashes in Tibet. Luckily, they’re found by guides who lead them up a steep mountain to the valley of Shangri-La. The location of the fictional lost valley is never precisely given. But on its last fateful flight the plane appears to be heading northwest to Afghanistan across the Himalayas, and Hilton clearly imagined that it landed somewhere in the west of Tibet, for which no detailed maps existed.

P: And how does he describe Shangri-La?

O: It’s a very special place; like nowhere else. He describes how in Shangri-La there’s no war or violence and people don’t believe in material wealth. The monastery in Shangri-La has a magnificent library containing the world’s greatest works of literature in every language – a place where all the wisdom of humanity is contained. This monastery’s built in the shadow of a white mountain, which Hilton describes as ‘the loveliest mountain on Earth’ – so perfect it hardly seems to be real. And the weather in Shangri-La enables the inhabitants to live for over one hundred and fifty years. So it’s like an earthly paradise.

P: What do we know about the author, James Hilton?

O: James Hilton had been inspired by articles published in National Geographic magazine during the 1920s by early travellers to Tibet. These provided fascinating, detailed descriptions of the scenery and the Buddhist way of life there. Hilton himself actually travelled no further than the British Library to research the location of Lost Horizon. But many, many people have since travelled to the region to try and find exactly where Shangri-La is set and to discover more about Buddhism.

P: Was Hilton the first person to imagine a place like this?

O: Well, actually, Hilton would have been aware of the ancient Tibetan legend of Shambhala. According to this legend, Shambhala was a kingdom, cut off from the outside world, where the people also lived in peace and harmony and which was also dominated by a magnificent white mountain. I don’t think these similarities are accidental or show that Hilton had run out of ideas. It’s clear he was very attracted by Tibetan values and wanted to include an authentic Tibetan idea of how a perfect society should be run.

P: There is a place actually called Shangri-La, isn’t there?

O: Yes. In 2002, the county of Zhongdian renamed itself Shangri-La in order to attract investment in the tourist industry. This provides a better living for the inhabitants of Zhongdian and means they’re no longer so reliant on the tea trade for survival. Thousands of tourists visit every year to see the monastery which they believe could’ve been the inspiration for Hilton’s monastery in Shangri-La, but no one can be sure this is true

P: How similar is modern-day Shangri-La to Hilton’s?

O: There’s a relaxed pace of life and things seem very peaceful but visitors to modern-day Shangri-La may find it doesn’t live up to their expectations, as there are several major differences. For one thing, there’s no mountain which matches Hilton’s perfect mountain. And for another, you won’t find anyone much over the age of one hundred living there.


Speaker 1: In my work as a counsellor, I’m already seeing a huge increase in the number of victims of cyber-bullying on social network sites and this is a trend that can only get worse. To deal with bullying or other problems that can occur online, social networking counsellors will support people in their cyber-relationships using the same counselling skills we use today. The only difference is that, because we’ll be online, it’ll be easier for people to contact us when they need us – in the evenings, for example. This may mean that we’ll have to change our working patterns and work out of office hours.

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Speaker 2: I work as a robotics engineer for a company that makes robots to perform operations in hospitals. Robots are increasingly being used in this field, and it’s a trend that’ll continue to grow. We’ll eventually get to a point where all operations are performed by robots, as they’re perfect for doing highly-skilled work. Building robots is slowly becoming more affordable. This means that routine operations like bypass surgery will be cheaper in the future because highly-skilled, highly-paid surgeons won’t be needed as much. This’ll be good news for patients who are waiting for operations.

Speaker 3: The company I work for is currently developing spaceships for leisure space travel. We aim to have six spaceships taking people on trips into space, each able to carry six passengers. I’m working as a test pilot at the moment, but eventually my role will be to recruit airline pilots and train them in the skills they’ll need to become spaceship pilots. We’re expecting there to be a lot of public interest in our service, even though it’ll only be something very wealthy individuals can afford. But it’ll be the experience of a lifetime and something a lot of people will be willing to pay for.

Speaker 4: We’ve been operating virtually for a few years now and it’s a trend that’s likely to continue across the globe. We have a team of virtual lawyers, all specialising in employment law, who just charge for their advice, without adding on costs for expensive office rents and other expenses. Already, we’ve made legal services more affordable for people. Being accessible on the internet has encouraged people to contact us, who before wouldn’t have considered hiring a lawyer. So I can see that, instead of spending most of my time with clients from the banking industry, I’ll be dealing with people from all sorts of companies.

Speaker 5: Vertical agriculture, where vegetables are grown on shelves in giant glasshouses, is the answer to feeding an increasing population, especially in towns and cities where space is so limited. Vertical farmers will be able to get food from the farm to the supermarket in under two hours; quite different to today, where some food takes at least a day to reach its destination. People’ll soon get used to this and start to expect a really fresh product. There are lots of other advantages, too, which I’ve discovered on my vertical farm: er, there’s no pollution, we don’t use pesticides, all the water we use is recycled and we don’t have to worry about the weather.


1 Actually, I’m not sure about that.

2 I agree up to a point but …

3 I suppose so.

4 That’s just what I was going to say!


1

Boss: So how are you getting on with the report, Amy?

Amy: I’ve done most of it but I still need to get some information from the sales team in Brazil before I can finish it.

Boss: OK. Good. Remember to keep it brief. Don’t write loads of detail and summarise the data in graphs if you can. No one has time to read very long reports.

Amy: Don’t worry, it won’t be more than four pages long.

2

OK, so, it’s your dream job and you know they’re interviewing at least ten other people. Who wouldn’t be nervous? But remember experienced interviewers want you to do your best and aren’t there to catch you out, so try to forget about being nervous. One thing that can really help with the nerves is being sure of your facts. So memorise key information about where you worked and for how long. Also, find out as much as you can about your prospective employer. And ask one or two questions to show you’ve done your homework.

3

Angela: I’ve just had JPS on the phone and they say they’ve left three messages for me but that I haven’t phoned them back. Why wasn’t I given the messages?

Mike: Oh dear. Well, I haven’t taken any calls from JPS. They must’ve rung yesterday when I was out of the office on my training course.

Angela: OK, Mike. Sorry. But I really must find out who took those calls. We can’t afford to upset such an important customer.

Mike: No problem, Angela. I’ll look into why the messages weren’t passed on if you like.


I = Interviewer L = Lauren

I: Lauren, how did you hear about this job?

L: Well, I spotted the advert while I was on the internet. I think it’s something I’d be good at.

I: Being an entertainment co-ordinator will involve looking after very young children. Have you had much experience of doing this?

L: Well, I look after my niece and nephew every month and I’m taking them on a cycling holiday tomorrow.


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I: Well, you might be unlucky, I’m afraid, because I’ve heard that it’s going to rain.

L: Oh, I’m sure we’ll still have a lot of fun.

I: Well, you sound very positive, and this is one of the qualities we’re looking for. Anyway, enjoy your weekend!

L: Thanks.

I: Lauren, thanks for coming. We’ll write soon, but don’t worry if you don’t hear anything for a few days.


Interviewer: What do you think makes some people more successful at sport than other people?

A: I’m sorry, did you say successful?

Interviewer: Yes, that’s right.

A: Thanks. Well, it’s difficult to say, of course, but I suppose a lot depends on your personality: whether you are self … erm … I mean sure of your ability.

B: Yes, and also really, really want to win. You have to be … erm … hungry. What I’m trying to say is, you need to be very determined.

A: But it’s not enough if you … you need the ability in the first place otherwise it doesn’t matter how you are … or rather, how ambitious you are.

B: Maybe, but some people say if you practise a lot …

A: Yes but it isn’t enough. There is also … right, a … you need a good body, for example, good health and you also need …


Do you mean …?

I’m sorry, did you say …?

So, what you’re saying is …?

OK, let me see.

Well, it’s difficult to say, of course, …

As far as I know, …

Right, …

I mean …

What I meant was …

What I’m trying to say is …

… or rather, …


What is it that makes a champion? How much is sporting achievement down to the ability you’re born with and how much to effort? And what part does luck play in the difference between winning and losing? Most top sportspeople claim that their success is down to dedication, ambition and long hours of practice. Luck is rarely mentioned; unless they happen to lose, and that’s sometimes blamed on something they couldn’t control, like the weather.

Unit 9, Listening focus, Activity 3

33

E = Examiner P = Presenter M = Max

E: You’re going to listen to a radio interview with a sports writer called Max Wilson about luck in sport.

P: What is it that makes a champion? How much is sporting achievement down to the ability you’re born with and how much to effort? And what part does luck play in the difference between winning and losing? To discuss these questions with me is sports writer Max Wilson. What’s the answer, Max?

M: Most top sportspeople claim that their success is down to dedication, ambition and long hours of practice. Luck is rarely mentioned, unless they happen to lose, and that’s sometimes blamed on something they couldn’t control, like the weather.

P: One thing that’s clear is that records go on being broken year after year. But is this because athletes are bigger and stronger than they were twenty, fifty, a hundred years ago? Or is it because sportspeople are getting more talented?

M: Well, experts say physical changes develop over a much longer time span. So it must be that people are practising longer and harder, and striving to achieve more. Sure, improvements in running shoes, tennis rackets and other technological advances play their part, but they can’t account on their own for the differences in standards.

P: Could it be that sportspeople are able to achieve more these days because their talent is recognised and nourished at a younger and younger age?

M: That’s certainly true of incredibly successful tennis clubs like Spartak, in Moscow. In recent years, this club’s created more top twenty women players than the whole of the United States. But a seemingly exceptional natural talent in a young child is often only the product of hours and hours of expert tuition and practice, and the child is unlikely to continue to make progress at such a fast rate.


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P: This is something that’s discussed in Matthew Syed’s book, Bounce, I believe?

M: Yes, he examines the relationship between talent, success and luck. Matthew was a British number one and top international table tennis player during the late 1990s. He lists several factors which he believes contributed to his success and which had very little to do with his own talent. Matthew says his first piece of good fortune was that when he was eight, his parents decided to buy a full-size, professional table-tennis table, which they kept in the garage, as a way of keeping their boys occupied and out of trouble. Matthew says he was also lucky that his older brother loved the game as much as he did and was happy to fight out endless battles in the garage.

P: But he was also a member of a really good club.

M: Absolutely. Matthew and his brother were lucky enough to be spotted by one of the leading table tennis coaches in the country, Peter Charters, who ran the Omega club. He also happened to be a teacher at Matthew’s primary school. The Omega club wasn’t a big or well-known club in those days but the tiny group of members could play whenever they liked, day or night, even though there was only one table and it was freezing in winter and incredibly hot in summer.

P: I see. So how important was the Omega club in Matthew’s success?

M: Very important. The Omega club members began having considerable success and started to attract a lot of attention. The street where Matthew lived, Silverdale Road, contained an astonishing number of the country’s top players, including both the men’s and women’s future Commonwealth champions. Was this inevitable, given the quality of the coach, the talent of the players and the location of the Omega club, or was it, as Matthew argues in the book, just a combination of lucky events? If he hadn’t lived in Silverdale Road, he would have gone to a different school and he wouldn’t have met Peter Charters, nor become a member of the Omega club.

P: Do you think Matthew Syed is right about the importance of luck?

M: Interestingly, a ten-year investigation into what makes people lucky or unlucky has concluded that people do make their own luck. Obviously, Matthew couldn’t have succeeded without some raw talent, but he also took full advantage of the opportunities given to him, and this is what ultimately made him so successful. Lucky people are better at taking chances and finding ways to improve their situation. Unlucky people are less likely to take risks and don’t like change. If there are lessons to be learnt …


Speaker 1: Our friendship is now mainly conducted on the phone and by text. That’s OK and we’re still very close but I’d like us to spend more time together. We can have conversations about anything from politics to music to family problems. We love to have a good debate but generally we see eye-to-eye on everything. I suppose that’s why we get on so well. When we first met, we used to go out together all the time but now I travel a lot for my job and she just got promoted so, unless we’re very organised, it can be hard to arrange to go out. As long as we plan ahead, it’s fine.

Speaker 2: We grew up together, went to the same school, spent holidays together when we were kids. He’s got to know my parents, and brothers and sisters, and grandparents over the years – so he’s almost part of the family. Like having another brother. And we fight like brothers, too, about all sorts of things; politics, music and sport, mainly. Watching sport on TV with him is a nightmare. Sometimes he makes me change my mind about something, so it’s good in a way, because he helps me to see things from a different point of view. And he makes me laugh a lot too, which is really important.

Speaker 3: Even if we haven’t seen each other for a few months, we can catch up really easily. We’ve got such a strong connection. Our relationship’s built on trust – she knows I’ll always support her in whatever way I can and she’d do the same for me. She’s the best listener I know. She understands what I’m talking about even though her life is so different. I’m single and she’s married. I work in a huge office and she works in her family’s business. But we’re not always serious; we do have a laugh together, too.

Speaker 4: We met at college at a party when we were both studying law. We have the same taste in music and films so he’s the one I call if there’s a gig on or a film I want to see. Or he calls me. Sometimes we go out to eat as a foursome with our girlfriends, other times it’s just a boys’ night out. He loves football as much as I do but he supports a different football team, so that’s one thing we don’t do together. Otherwise we’d end up arguing. We usually get to see each other about once a week but we text each other all the time, too.

Speaker 5: I suppose people sometimes wonder why we’re such good friends. For example, he loves being the centre of attention whereas I’m quite shy. But apart from that, I think we’ve got a lot in common. I mean, we have a lot of shared experiences. We do the same job. We’re both married with a young child and we’ve both lived in the same town for a few years. I’d really miss him if he moved away. I’ve got used to him being around. I like just being able to call him up at short notice to see if he wants to go out.


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A: OK, shall we begin?

B: Yes. We could start with childhood. What’s really important to young kids is their friends, don’t you think?

A: I suppose so, although maybe not so much if they have brothers and siblings to play with.

B: That’s true, and they’re still quite close to their parents at this age. Maybe friends are more important when you’re teenagers, then.

A: Definitely, especially if you’re quite shy. That’s why they text each other a lot and go on Facebook and so on. But what you need to have at that age as well is friends to go out with.

B: Yes, and as well as that to give you confidence because at that age it can be difficult. When you’re older – between nineteen and twenty maybe – they’re not so …

A: Actually, … oh sorry …

B: No, that’s OK. Go on.

A: I was just going to say that at college, friends are very important too. Otherwise you’d be very lonely.

B: It must also be lonely if you’re looking after a baby though and you’re at home every day on your own. Would you agree with that?

A: Yes, I’ve got no experience of this but I’d imagine that friends are essential or you’d go mad! Do you think friends are as important for men too?

B: Probably not so much. They probably don’t need them as much. I’m not sure. Although I think men like doing sport together and when you have … er … when you retire from your job it must be good to have someone to go out with and do things.


Some people are ‘risk-takers’ and enjoy taking unnecessary and sometimes stupid risks, while others are ‘risk-averse’ and avoid taking the smallest risk at all costs. As someone who enjoys extreme mountain biking, I’m definitely a risk-taker. A lot of people find that quite hard to understand and wonder how I can enjoy something that they think’s frightening and dangerous. Well, I’d like to get the facts straight and reassure people about extreme sports. I don’t do extreme biking for the fear or the speed. It’s the freedom I love. There are no rules and no winners and losers in this kind of sport. You’re really only competing against yourself and the weather. I prefer it when it doesn’t rain but I do like

the conditions to be challenging, especially when there’s loads of mud everywhere, which makes the surface really slippery.

Having said that, I don’t go out biking to get hurt, and I haven’t ever had a serious injury – and I hope I never will. There’s a lot of emphasis on health and safety in all extreme sports, even though there are a few crazy people who ignore all the advice. Each sport keeps developing all kinds of equipment to help improve safety – from headgear to harnesses – and that makes extreme sports much safer than they used to be in the past.

It annoys me that a lot of people are so negative about extreme sports and say that we’re irresponsible for taking so many risks. There’ve always been risks in sports. For example, when I played rugby at school it was basically just an organised form of fighting. There were injuries all the time. But it helped us to deal with negative emotions and it tired us out. I think that’s why rugby was taught in schools in those days. And today people still get injured by doing traditional sports as much as they do from new extreme sports. Anyway, I’d say the most dangerous sport isn’t snowboarding or free-running, but horse-riding. I bet the statistics show that’s true.

But I’m not arguing that risk is a bad thing. So long as people take safety seriously, I think everyone needs to be more adventurous. I feel quite strongly that using all your skill and strength to meet a challenge gives you the greatest sense of being alive. There’s nothing quite like it.

And another thing that people don’t understand about risk-taking is that the hormones the body releases when it’s experiencing stress – adrenaline’s the one everyone’s heard of – can actually help you to live longer; whereas being cautious and always playing it safe can cause some people to age faster, and to catch colds and flu more frequently. You could argue that doing extreme sports is actually less dangerous than sitting at home watching TV!

Anyway, my philosophy is never to worry about what might happen. If I did that, then I’d end up doing nothing and going nowhere. Don’t use up lots of energy on worrying, is what I say. And that’s true about any kind of activity, not just ones which involve physical risk. Whatever you’re terrified of – speaking in public, or going on a journey – you should just go ahead and do it. What you’ll probably find is that it wasn’t nearly as bad as you’d expected.

And I believe doing extreme sports doesn’t just benefit the individual, it benefits society as a whole. Society needs risk-takers for scientific developments. Otherwise we’d never have sent astronauts into space. Risk-taking is really important in business, too – you can’t be a success without it.

So, basically, risk-taking is a good thing. And the kinds of people who participate in extreme sports have a need to seek excitement and stimulation. Doing extreme sports


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is a positive way of meeting that need. If I couldn’t do extreme biking, maybe I’d get involved in some other risky behaviour – something more negative and destructive like dangerous driving, for example – which could end up doing a lot more harm.

Unit 11, Grammar, Activity 1

37

I was pretty good at skateboarding and I used to love going to the park with my two sons. The problem was that, as my sons got older, they didn’t want me hanging out with them. I always wished I’d had a skater friend my own age. I was lonely and self-conscious. I wasn’t worried about having an accident because I was always careful and wore protective clothing and a helmet, but I felt it was time I stopped. And then last year they opened a brand new skate park, and I said to myself ‘If only I hadn’t given up. If only I could start again!’ But I’ve lost confidence. I wish I was twenty years younger, and I wish my wife wouldn’t tell me I need a new hobby all the time.


Examiner: Layla, here are your photographs. They show people taking risks in different situations. I’d like you to compare the two photographs and say which person you think is taking the most risks, and why.

Layla: OK. Well, both photos show sportspeople who have to take risks while doing their chosen sport. The boxer faces risks of injury every time he has a fight. There’s also the risk of permanent, long-term brain damage. The yachtswoman is in a similar situation because she has to rely on her skill to avoid getting into danger or being injured. Both the boxer and the yachtswoman have to be extremely fit and well-trained. They’re probably both aware of the risks they’re taking. In a way, it’s harder for the yachtswoman because she’s completely alone, whereas the boxer has a team of people to help and support him. I think you’d have to be quite fearless and determined but also a little bit crazy to want to do dangerous sports like these.

But although the possible dangers to the yachtswoman are serious, she has all kinds of technology available to her to help her avoid dangerous situations, so I’d say that she’s taking less of a risk than the boxer. I’d imagine the chances of her getting injured out at sea are quite small compared to the boxer, who probably gets injured every time he has a fight.


Examiner: Which of these activities would you prefer to do, Leo?

L: To be honest, I’ve never thought about doing either of them. But I’d choose sailing because it’s out in the open air, you’re surrounded by sea and sky and it must be a wonderful feeling.


You’d think a prison would be the last place anyone would willingly spend money to stay in, but you’d be wrong. Former prisons all over the world’ve been opening their gates to paying guests. Some’ve been converted into luxury hotels, but others, like the Karosta Prison in Latvia, are left almost unchanged, with none of the usual comforts, thanks to the rise in popularity of what’s become known as ‘reality tourism’. Unlike luxury tourism, people’re given the chance to have an authentic and challenging experience.

Constructed in 1905 as a jail for sailors who didn’t obey orders, Karosta Prison was taken over in the 1970s by the USSR’s secret service, the KGB. Today, it’s a hotel with a difference. The extreme package offers the opportunity to experience life as a prisoner for a few hours. Too extreme you may think, but hundreds of people actually choose to stay here every year. Admittedly, most are on trips organised by their school, but there’re growing numbers of business-people who come here on team building exercises. Not too many on their honeymoon, I suspect.

I recently spent one night as a guest in Karosta prison. The extreme package started at 9 p.m. when the prison guards lined everybody up in the courtyard and shouted out orders. The experience felt so real, it was sometimes too difficult to remember that the guards were really actors and that we were only role-playing.

Before we were taken to our cells, we had to put on a prison uniform and then one of the guards took a photo of each of us to put in our prison document. I half-expected them to take our fingerprints too, but that didn’t happen. After that it was ‘dinner’ – which consisted of a hunk of dry bread and black tea. If you wanted coffee or a cold drink, too bad. We were then shut in our cells for the night. There were four people in every cell, so we weren’t alone, but we were given strict instructions to keep silent, unless given permission to speak.

After a very uncomfortable few hours, we were finally allowed to leave, which all of my cell mates did, along with almost everyone else, without waiting for breakfast. As the advertisement says, the service is ‘unfriendly and


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unwelcoming’, which sums it up nicely. For me it was a memorable night, but not one I’d wish to repeat in a hurry. But at least it didn’t cost much, at only ten euros. If this appeals to you, then go to www.Tarcenytours.com. That’s: T-A-R-C-E-N-Y T-O-U-R-S. They offer a three-day tour of Latvia which includes one night’s stay at Karosta.

The Alcatraz prison hotel, near Frankfurt in Germany, is also located in a former prison and is named after the famous Alcatraz prison near San Francisco. Guests have the option of choosing one of the basic cell rooms, which are very small, or one of the rather better ‘comfort’ rooms, which have private showers. Although the cells are clean and cheerful, there’s still some discomfort; the beds, which are original and made by prisoners, are very narrow and there’re still bars on the windows.

But if it’s an authentic prison experience you’re looking for, then the Alcatraz probably isn’t for you. The staff are the most striking difference. Here, they couldn’t be more friendly and welcoming; not at all what a convict would’ve expected here in the past.

The cost of staying at the Alcatraz is comparable to other budget hotels in the area, although I would’ve expected to pay a bit more. Prices range from forty-nine euros for a single to sixty-nine euros for a double in the smaller cell rooms, while the larger rooms cost about twenty euros per night more.

If you’ve experienced a night in a prison hotel, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us at www dot …


Extract 1

A: I’m thinking about taking up Chinese. But it’s very hard to learn, isn’t it?

B: Well, if you just want to learn conversational Chinese, then it’s not that bad. So I’d recommend you do what I did and forget writing until you can speak. The biggest challenge for me’s been learning the sounds, but that’s true for most learners. Once I had some idea of how words’re pronounced, the rest was much more straightforward. For example, Chinese doesn’t have articles and the verb system’s simpler than most European languages.

Extract 2

A: How do you get on with your new colleagues?

B: Er, it’s not like in my last job. There, it was completely different. It was hard to get anything done because there was so much gossip going on. It’s much easier to concentrate here and I prefer that, although the atmosphere in the office isn’t as much fun. It’s not that

they’re unfriendly, it’s just they’re a lot more serious and focused. They don’t like being distracted from what they’re doing, so in the office I’d only ever bring up something that’s related to the project we’re working on.

Extract 3

A: You don’t prefer travelling alone to travelling with someone else, do you? I’m not sure I’d like it.

B: Oh, it’s fine, really. I like the fact that you don’t have to make compromises about where to go or what to eat. You can make all the decisions yourself. The only thing is that when you come back, you haven’t got anyone to talk to about the trip. And it’s nice to have someone to remember things with.

A: What about if you’re feeling ill or when things go wrong?

B: Well, you meet people while you’re travelling and someone’s always there to help you sort things out. People are generally very kind.

Extract 4

A: So, do you have any idea what you might do when you leave university?

B: I’d been considering doing a journalism course and getting a job with a conservation magazine. But I’m in two minds about it. Perhaps I’m not quite ready for that yet. I’d like to get more experience first of working with endangered species somewhere like Borneo.

A: You wouldn’t get paid for that, would you?

B: That’s the problem. But I reckon I could do that straight after I leave for a few months and then apply for a job in a zoo. I’d have lots of useful experience then.

A: That sounds like a good plan.

Extract 5

Listen, I’m really sorry but I won’t be able to get home to pick you up, as I’ve been held up in a meeting. But don’t worry because everything’s arranged. I’ve got a taxi booked at two o’clock to take you to the station. There’s some money on the shelf in the kitchen to pay the fare. So you will be ready, won’t you? And don’t forget to clean your shoes. I’m hoping to get out of this meeting in about half an hour and then I’ll meet you there. If I don’t see you before the interview starts, just do your best and try to relax. And good luck.

Extract 6

A: Emma! What are you doing outside by yourself? Aren’t you enjoying the party?

B: Not really. Parties aren’t really my thing. And it’s so hot and crowded in there.


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A: I know what you mean. But parties are a great way to meet new people, aren’t they?

B: Yes, I suppose so, but then it’s almost impossible to have a conversation when the music’s so loud. And if you’re not into dancing there’s not much point. So I think I’ll head home soon. It’s getting late anyway.

A: I don’t think I’ll stay much longer either. I’ve got an early start in the morning.

Extract 7

I was in a hurry, queuing to buy a train ticket but, when it was my turn to pay, I just couldn’t remember the pin number for my credit card. My mind’d gone totally blank! I’d never forgotten it before. Luckily, I was with a friend, so he paid instead. I’ve only got one card and I’ve used it hundreds of times, but my brain had deleted it for no reason whatsoever – I thought I was losing my mind! I still can’t understand why that happened. Since then I keep reminding myself what the number is and I’ve kept it stored on my phone.

Extract 8

A: Oh, this one was taken at Jane’s twenty-first birthday party. Wow – doesn’t time fly?! That was a great party.

B: Oh yes, I’d forgotten all about it. It’s a shame – nobody has such fun parties any more. But look at what we’re wearing! I think I’ve still got that dress.

A: I’m not surprised you haven’t worn it for a while. But that hairstyle suits you.

B: I think it makes me look middle-aged, and I like yours better the way it is now, too.

A: So, you think we’ve improved with age. That’s good.


Speaker 1: I’m from the north of England. I live on the south coast and work in an office where there aren’t any other northerners. My colleagues’re always commenting on my northern accent. Everyone can understand what I say, but I get fed up when they copy the way I pronounce certain words, like ‘bath’ instead of ‘bath’ and ‘bus’ instead of ‘bus’. They don’t mean to be rude but it gets really annoying. But there’s no way I’d want to try and sound like a southerner. An accent represents where you come from and it’s a big part of what makes you who you are. Anyway, it’d be boring if we all sounded exactly the same.

Speaker 2: As an American woman living in London, I often notice people rolling their eyes when there’s a group of loud Americans on the train. I don’t think this is anything to do with their accents. It’s just American tourists aren’t aware that they should lower their volume when they’re outside the States and this could possibly be because they have a different attitude to privacy. British people find this annoying because they don’t tend to talk much on public transport. The exception to this are groups of young women, who can be very loud. But the Americans aren’t actually being rude or arrogant. They may even be hoping that you’ll join them in the conversation.

Speaker 3: I work for a customer service helpline so I have to talk to customers all over the country on the phone. I’ve got used to understanding all their different accents. I enjoy interacting with customers but sometimes I’m tired of talking by the time I get home. It’s important to be polite and cheerful all the time and some managers think women find this easier because they think we’re naturally good at chatting and building relationships with people. But I disagree with this; some of my male colleagues are brilliant with customers, while some female colleagues really struggle.

Speaker 4: I think men may be more aware of the importance of non-verbal communication, such as facial expressions and body language. This could be because they need to learn whether another male is aggressive or not. It’s not a skill many women take much notice of, but these little clues can tell you an awful lot about someone’s personality – in the same way their accent can tell you where they’re from. When I was preparing for a job interview recently, I was advised not to touch my throat because apparently this shows that you aren’t feeling confident or may not be telling the truth.

Speaker 5: Personally, I have a weakness for the way the French speak. There’s just something about it – whether the Frenchman’s speaking in his native tongue or in English. And I think a lot of my women friends feel the same way. But interestingly, I read an article which said that Japanese people love the way Scottish people speak, in particular people from Glasgow. In a study, a group of Japanese people listened to different accents from around Britain and North America and it was Glaswegian they liked best. This is really surprising because most British people find people from Glasgow quite hard to understand. The article didn’t say which one they liked the least.


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